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The quarterback was there because he always stood to benefit from extra instruction. Same for the two receivers, especially because they were injured and unable to participate in the workouts.

Several early mornings this summer in a windowless EverBank Field conference room/bunker, Blake Bortles (the quarterback) and Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson (the receivers), the Jaguars’ top three draft picks in May, would meet with offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch.

They would munch on bagels or doughnuts, go over the upcoming practice’s script of plays, watch video of the previous day’s work and just gab … and chat … and converse. Four guys talking football and life.

“I was going to just meet with Blake, but then I figured those two guys could benefit as well because we understand as a coaching staff how valuable they are,” Fisch says. “We would sit and watch and talk about what we were trying to do as an offense and I would explain it and then they would have to explain to me what they were supposed to be doing.

“But also, we hopefully did some relationship building.”

Much is at stake for the Jaguars and the bond Bortles, Lee and Robinson, chosen Nos. 3, 39 and 61, are able to construct with each other and the coaches. The Jaguars hope they will be their key players for the next decade-plus and bring desperately needed stability to an ever-changing offensive cast.

No team needs an offensive B12 shot more than the Jaguars. Since 2008, they’ve been stuck in a scoring swoon and passing game slump. They’ve had a terrible record — their 31 wins are fourth-fewest in the NFL. But even worse, they were nondescript, boring, a big snooze — their 1,690 points (third-fewest), 104 touchdown passes (second-fewest) and 18,792 passing yards (fourth-fewest) statistical eyesores.

In a year of new things around EverBank Field — the world’s largest high definition video boards and a cabana/pool party area that has captured massive curiosity — there is clear excitement about this talented trio, who are three faces of the Jaguars’ future.

If Bortles, Lee and Robinson pan out, the Jaguars will climb up the AFC South standings, allowing fans of all ages to forget about the dreary recent past and make kids around Duval County proud about wearing Nos. 5, 11 and 80 jerseys.

During a 24 hours that will likely define the administration of general manager Dave Caldwell, this is how Bortles, Lee and Robinson became Jaguars.

QUARTERBACK: ‘AMAZING COMMAND’

Bortles made sense for the Jaguars with the third pick. But the NFL was still stunned with the selection because there was no buzz surrounding Caldwell’s plans. In reality, the Jaguars began coveting him months earlier.

Fisch started his quarterback research in early January and was enamored by Bortles after the Scouting Combine at Indianapolis in late February. Bortles met with the Jaguars for the allotted 15 minutes, but Fisch said he had an “amazing command,” of the room. Bortles was just OK throwing in the drills, but Fisch was impressed he even participated, calling it “cool.”

And Fisch liked the kid, which was crucial. Early in the draft process, Caldwell told Fisch: “You have to realize the quarterback we pick, you’re going to spend hours with him every day for hopefully a lot of years. You better like him.”

“He was very likable and very smart,” Fisch says of the first meeting. “And then I started watching a lot of his film and he just started growing on me and growing on me.”

The Jaguars and Bortles met March 18 in Orlando. Hours later on the UCF campus, Bortles shined during his Pro Day workout and became the draft’s consensus top passer. Back at the team’s offices, Fisch continued his Bortles research and “really dug deep,” into his game video.

The Jaguars watched Bortles 2012 and Bortles 2013 to gauge his improvement, reviewed UCF’s game against South Carolina (the fastest defense, led by Jadeveon Clowney, he would face), examined the Knights’ game at Louisville (the duel with Teddy Bridgewater) and finally the Fiesta Bowl against Baylor (the biggest game in UCF history). Sure, some of Bortles’ mechanics would need work, but the leadership, build, mobility, arm strength, accuracy — it was all there. Still, the Jaguars cast a wide quarterback net.

“We were looking at Johnny [Manziel] every day and Teddy every day and A.J. [McCarron] — there was a lot of stuff going on so it was a matter of continuing to figure out what was best,” Fisch says.

For his part, Caldwell knew Bortles would be a fit after watching him lead UCF to a 34-31 win at Penn State (20-of-27 passing for 288 yards, three touchdowns and one interception). “Going up there, playing very well and the anticipation of his throws — it wasn’t just the accuracy, but his ability to move the team and win in a tough environment,” Caldwell says.

The Jaguars were giving out zero vibes about their interest in Bortles although their failed pursuit of Cleveland Browns restricted free agent center Alex Mack in early May provided a clue — they wanted to match a veteran center with a young quarterback.

With Bortles in the fold, it was time to give him some weapons.

RECEIVERS: ‘GET THEM BOTH’

At 7 a.m., May 9, as Bortles and his family were being met at their Manhattan hotel by Jaguars public relations coordinator Tad Dickman to be vanned to one of owner Shad Khan’s private jets and the trip to Jacksonville, the coaches and personnel staffs convened for a receivers crash course.

Before the draft, Fisch and receivers coach Jerry Sullivan watched tape of Lee, the USC talent who was the nation’s top receiver in 2012 (118 catches) but was slowed by a knee injury and inside-the-program tumult last year (57 catches). Fisch, Sullivan and the Jaguars’ scouts wrote their reports and ranked Lee … and then moved on.

No way, they thought, would Lee be available when the Jaguars drafted in the second round. Five receivers went in the first round, but not Lee.

“Shocked,” Sullivan would say a few months later. “Nobody would have projected that. Nobody.”

And then luck took over. Due to tiebreakers, the Jaguars fell to the seventh pick of Round 2 so their collective fingers were crossed. At some point, Caldwell had predicted, there would be a run on receivers “and a lot of teams needed one,” including the Jaguars, who weren’t planning on having suspended Justin Blackmon. Instead, one quarterback, one tight end and two offensive and defensive linemen apiece came off the board.

Only one receiver was selected in a span of 18 picks (Nos. 21-38) bridging the first and second rounds, and Lee fell into the Jaguars’ lap.

“Marqise is a gifted, gifted player and if he [was eligible] to come out the year before, he might have been a top-15 pick,” Fisch says.

In Lee, the Jaguars hope they’ve added a home run hitter. Lee caught 29 touchdown passes in three years for USC — as a freshman, 10 of his 11 touchdowns were 24 or longer yards; as a sophomore and junior, he had a combined 29 catches of at least 20 yards.

But the celebration was brief. The Jaguars’ next pick wasn’t until No. 70 (third round) and the wheels began turning – they liked Robinson enough that he would have been their guy at No. 39 if Lee wasn’t available.

“It was immediately, ‘How do we get Allen?’ ” Fisch recalls. “And then Dave went to work.”

Caldwell sent Nos. 70 (the Jaguars’ own pick) and 150 (a pick acquired in 2012 from Detroit for Mike Thomas) to San Francisco to move up to No. 61 and take Robinson, who was a dominant player for Penn State the last two years (combined 174 catches, 17 touchdowns).

“I kept waiting for [Robinson to be drafted] and when a couple of those other guys went, I didn’t think it was going to happen for us,” Sullivan says. “But it did happen and I’m glad it did.”

Robinson will bring a new element of size (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) and athleticism (his vertical leap of 42 inches at the Combine was tops among all receivers) and can out-muscle and out-jump defenders for contested passes. The Jaguars’ youngest player — he turned 21 last week — the team feels he is mature physically and mentally to contribute right away once he returns from a hamstring injury that has derailed his training camp.

In the span of a few hours, the Jaguars had rebuilt their receiving corps. The Jaguars became only the third team in draft history to select two second-round receivers — Washington struck out on Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly in 2008 and Cleveland whiffed on Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie a year later.

The Jaguars feel Lee and Robinson come to the NFL as hardened competitors, which could quicken the transition. Plus, they have each other to lean on.

“They’re a perfect complement for each other,” Fisch says. “With Cecil [Shorts], you have Marqise in a very natural position in the slot, you’ve got Cecil in a very natural position outside and you’ve got Allen in a very natural position outside. That’s pretty cool.”

But patience is required. Bortles is expected to start the season as Chad Henne’s back-up, and the majority of second-round receivers experience a transition period as rookies — since 2009, the 17 second-round receivers have averaged 28.5 catches and 2.5 touchdown catches in their first season.

If the Jaguars made the right call with those three picks, things could get cool on offense for the first time in years.

Living in the NOW is much more realistic. What we have is what we must build upon. The past opportunity for getting Richburg (C) or Swanson (C) is gone, so the next step is what? Free Agency! Same with MJD, he's gone, running like he always has (see the 45 yard TD sprint) and we have Toby. BTW, why did we p/u a FB????
Our OC better live and play with his whole squad, using what he must instead of what he wants to install. He must accentuate the talent, if any. If not Tim Tebow is a Jacksonville Resident!
We want to win now, which means we must score!